Ahead of Canadian Elections Next Monday, All Major Canadian Political Parties Commit to Implement Magnitsky Sanctions Legislation if Elected

October 13, 2015

13 October 2015 – All of Canada’s major political parties have publicly pledged to implement Magnitsky sanctions legislation if elected ahead of the federal election set for next Monday, 19 October 2015.

Magnitsky sanctions legislation will create consequences for gross human rights violations. Such legislation is already in place in the United States.
Last spring Liberal Canadian MP Irwin Cotler’s motion calling for a Magnitsky law won unanimous support in the Canada’s House of Commons.

Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and member of the Conservative party Rob Nicholson gave a pledge to amend Canada’s existing sanctions regime to include Magnitsky sanctions – the ability to target human rights abusers throughout the world with visa bans and asset freezes (http://upnorth.eu/canadian-ministers-pledge-to-adopt-global-magnitsky-nemtsov-legislation-and-create-digital-freedom-fund/)

NDP and Green Party of Canada stated that they will introduce Magnitsky legislation involving sanctions against Russian officials responsible for the illegal imprisonment in Russia of Ukrainian citizens (NDP: http://www.ucc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/1-NDP-Response-Ukrainian-Canadian-Congress-Questionnaire.pdf; Greens: http://www.ucc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/1-Green-Party-Leader-UCCResponseFinal.pdf)

The Liberal Party of Canada said that a Liberal Government will introduce legislation, modelled on the US Magnitsky legislation, because of the belief that, “by imposing sanctions, we can impose meaningful penalties on human rights violators and deter future violations,” and that it “will immediately expand the list of sanctioned Russians to include influential businessmen, and close Putin supporters, Igor Sechin and Vladimir Yakunin.” (http://www.ucc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/1-LPC-Response-Election-2015.pdf)

The statements from the political parties came in response to questions raised by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) challenging all Canadian political parties on issues of importance to the Ukrainian Canadian community in advance of the election.

The 2015 Canadian election will be held on October 19, 2015 and will elect members to the House of Commons of the 42nd Parliament of Canada.